Introducing The Tamayo
Our latest mezcal cocktail is one of the most popular drinks on our menu. Like the artist it takes its name from, this cocktail has roots in Mexican tradition but offers up a unique and modern take on the classic. Rufino Tamayo was an internationally acclaimed Mexican painter, active in the mid-20th century in Mexico and New York. A contemporary of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Tamayo fused European styles — including Cubism and Surrealism — with subject matter that involved Mexican culture and his Zapotec heritage. He used vibrant colours and textured surfaces to depict his subjects in symbolic, stylized, or semi-abstract modes. He also developed new techniques — Mixografia was the name given to an art technique created by Tamayo and a fellow Mexican painter that combines prints with three-dimensional textures.
The Tamayo cocktail is based on the classic Mexican cocktail, the Paloma, which is the most popular tequila-based cocktail in Mexico. We switch things up by making it with half mezcal and half blanco tequila to add a bit of smoky depth to it. Palomas are often made with grapefruit soda, but for the Tamayo we use fresh mudded grapefruit and agave, and we rim the glass with Sal de Gusano, a traditional Oaxacan spice made from sea salt, toasted and ground agave worms and chile costeño. Our Dining Room Manager Reyna Roman had her sister bring the salt from Mexico for us!
